One of the guitarists with the most duende in the world
It is a great pleasure for us to bring you today our interview with another of the great guitarists on the current scene.
Putting national borders on this artist would be madness, so we can safely say that throughout these pages you will enjoy the advice and experiences of one of the guitarists with the most duende in the world. Before we begin, and as is customary in our conversations among musicians at ISP Música, we would like to offer you our hospitality and our appreciation for your excellent work, while thanking you for your kindness in agreeing to share your magic with all of us.
At what point did you sense that this would be your professional path?
Well, almost for as long as I can remember – maybe even before! I grew up surrounded by guitars, singing and dancing. My father was a professional musician in the municipal band here in Almería. He had a deep knowledge of music theory, on top of his passion for flamenco; in short, it's in my heritage, in my blood, in my genes – something that was meant to be by divine forces.
Over the course of your career, how many hours a day, on average, have you devoted to studying the instrument?
When I'm not eating or sleeping or taking care of family obligations (I have 6 kids and I'm a grandfather at 45!), I'm playing and studying the guitar. An average number of hours? Between five on a normal day and nine or ten when I'm rehearsing for something, and then, when I'm in the preparation phase of some special project, my album, the album with Camilo, the forays with Carles Trepat into the classical world and Piazzolla, and now, as I'm finishing another new album, well, it's guitar by day, by night and at all hours.
What influences have shaped your style?
My fundamental style was shaped by José Monge Cruz “Camarón de la Isla”. I will carry that divine imprint with me my whole life. I'm an unconditional fan of Paco de Lucía because he changed the intrinsic concept of flamenco guitar forever, and to me he is still the ultimate. As for outside influences, I identify with the music of the Arab world and I've been lucky enough to listen to, and even play with, great figures from that sphere. Jazz is a world that by its very nature opens your ear to an enormous range of harmonic possibilities when it comes to improvisation, not only because I know the work of Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, George Benson and Django Reinhardt in depth, to name four figures who are very different in their guitar philosophy, but also because of the legacy of great legends like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Mingus and all those geniuses. My Argentine friend Luis Salinas has encouraged and inspired me a lot in that direction. Then, working with Michel Camilo allowed me to break out of the rhythmic rigidity of flamenco and better understand the Latin concept, bossa nova. In short, everything I listen to, and even every time I cross paths at an event with people from other styles, stays somehow in my subconscious memory. That said, my motto is “a flamenco player has to play flamenco”, and since that is what I am, I allow myself the luxury of exploring, trying things out, observing, borrowing, without ever intending to stray from my own identity.
There are many technical differences between the way a flamenco guitarist plays and the way an “electric” guitarist plays. Do you think they are compatible, or do you think they are two “specialties” too different to be compatible with each other?
That's true, but I think “compatibility” can exist regardless of strict technique. Musical understanding between two or more musicians is born on another level; it either happens or it doesn't depending on the parallels there may be creatively. Anything is possible, as long as it is rooted in artistic sincerity.
There are moments when a guitarist feels trapped in his favorite or usual scales and phrasing, closing the door on his evolution as a musician. What do you recommend to expand your resources and avoid getting boxed in?
Yes, we're all guilty of stagnating at some point. There are even falsetas or chords that personify the artist, and you know who is playing without anyone telling you. It's essential to keep an open mind and not give in to fear. On occasion I've taken a standard like “Bésame mucho” and at first it feels strange: what am I doing playing this? And I learn it and find a chord I've always used but with changes in the root, I try it in a different key, putting it into a flamenco rhythmic format. Open mind, open heart, open ears... it's the only way.
Do you believe in inspiration, and, if so, do you think monotony can end up blocking it?
Naturally I've gone through spells of creative listlessness. I'm lucky to have a very varied professional life and I travel constantly. Then, inspiration can come to me at any unexpected moment, and not necessarily through music. The landscape, the vibe of a new city, a painting or a sculpture, chatting with friends, even watching my little boy play. Even though my outer shell may hide it, inside there is a keen sensitivity.
What are your favorite guitars and what do you look for in them?
I have a whole pile of them and I like them all! Right now I'm playing one by Hermanos Conde. I look for excellence in the tuning mechanism, ease of movement for the left hand (neck, fingerboard...), and a resonance that suits the flamenco sound and doesn't lose clarity with or without amplification.
Many blues guitarists have mentioned you as one of their favorite guitarists, which, in part (and only in part, since I share that choice), surprised me, as it's a branch far removed from flamenco. In your case, which Spanish and international guitarists would you single out?
Orthodox flamenco and the blues are both born of oppression and suffering. The two share an element of “duquela” (sorrow), and it's natural that each recognizes that feeling in the other. They are deep, “jondo” musics.
Apart from those I mentioned earlier, I admire monsters like Santana, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, John Williams. Here there's talent to burn and loads of incredible young players. Moraíto Chico, his son Diego, my cousin Raimundo Amador..., an endless list of fellow players and colleagues. And Paco de Lucía!
Speaking of your latest recording, what evolution do you think we can perceive in it, and how much of you do we find on the album?
I'm hard at work on it, let's see what comes out. So far, what's coming out is very flamenco, with no jazz collaborations. All I can say is that there will be good cantaores there with me. I've also worked with Paco on the album he's releasing this fall. We did a bulería in which we took things from Camarón to pay tribute to him. That was glorious. It's turned out to be a beautiful album. I told Paco: it's been a long time since a guitar album moved me, and this one did.
As for live shows, where will we be able to see you from December 2003 on?
Well, we're jotting down little things as they come up; at the beginning of the year I'm going to Istanbul, no less. The dates that are finally confirmed appear on my website; I hope to tour all over Spain as I do every year. I'd love to go to Galicia, the Basque Country and places like that, which I love and rarely get the chance to visit. We'll see what comes up after the release of the new album. In June I premiere “Sonanta suite” at the Auditori in Barcelona. For the first time I'm playing with a symphony orchestra, which is quite an adventure, but with maestro Joan Albert Amargós at the helm, the whole thing is blessed. Then there are a few things in Japan, Austria, and maybe I'll go back to the U.S., where I did a mini tour in the spring.
To satisfy the curiosity of our more audio-minded followers, what do you think is the best way to amplify and/or record a guitar: two mics, preamps, preamp and mic, something else...?
My technical guru is Pepe Paradas, who comes with me wherever I go. He brings me a Neumann KM 184 and uses an Avalon VT 737 preamp. For recording I have a studio at home where I do digital things, but I usually let myself be guided by the producer of the recording, and we work it out together depending on the result or the feel we want to achieve.
Finally, as an open question, so you can add whatever you'd like to pass on to all our readers: what would you recommend to all those musicians, whether guitarists or other instrumentalists, who are struggling to learn and carve out a place in the professional world?
Humility, sincerity, and doing things just for the sheer pleasure of being there and taking part. Money matters least at the beginning. In the end, all of this is a matter of luck and circumstances, the right time and the right place.
Throughout my own path as a musician, I have learned many things I didn't expect to be related to music, and which, on the contrary, are now among the principles I hold most dear in relation to it: respect, the human connection between musicians, and the ability to understand one another in depth, getting beneath the surface and being able to know a part of the soul of the artist you're listening to, simply by understanding their sonic language, even if you never exchange a word. And so, on behalf of the whole team and the regular followers of Instrumentos y Sonido Profesional, we offer you our humble but wholehearted recognition. Thank you, José Fernández Torres, Tomatito.
Biographical notes
José Fernández Torres, "Tomatito", was born in Almería in 1958, in the Pescadería neighborhood. His family, tied to Almería for many generations, has a long musical tradition, especially when it comes to guitar playing. His grandfather Miguel Fernández Cortés was a regular at private parties in the early part of the century and well known among the young fans of the nighttime serenade rounds, a tradition in our capital, for playing in a duo with his brother Antonio Fernández Cortés, who played the bandurria.
His father, José Fernández Castro, played guitar as a hobby in the privacy of his home and played clarinet in the Almería Music Band. His father's brothers, and therefore Tomatito's uncles, are Antonio, who played the bandurria in his youth and developed his career as a guitarist in France, playing for such great artists as Paco Isidro, and “El Niño Miguel”, a classically styled virtuoso who built his career in Huelva, where he currently lives.
José grew up in an environment closely connected to music and especially to flamenco. He learned his first chords from his father and grandfather, showing from an early age great musical intuition and an almost innate skill.
His debut as an accompanying guitarist was not long in coming. José Sorroche presented him at the “El Taranto” peña when he was only 10 years old. This recital, where he appeared as Pepín Fernández, was widely covered by the local press, as if capricious fate wanted this figure to enjoy a certain notoriety from his very first public appearance. From then on, his relationship with the peña was close, and he was called upon to accompany many of the cantaores it booked.
In 1970, his father, “El Tomate”, was forced to move with the whole family to Málaga, where he worked playing clarinet in various orchestras in that city. There he began talks for his son to work at La Cañeta, a venue in Marbella, and Tomatito went to this tablao every day accompanied by his father.
He was later hired at the Taberna Gitana, joining the venue's flamenco troupe. La Kika and Pepito Vargas, among others, danced there, and Pedro Escalona played guitar. Besides accompanying the dance, Tomatito played a solo, which was usually Paco de Lucía's “Entre dos aguas”. He rounded out his training during this period with Pedro Blanco and Enrique Naranjo. This stage, which lasted 3 years, was essential to his career since, with exceptional audience members like Pansequito, Lebrijano, Paco de Lucía and Camarón de la Isla himself (leading figures who were his ultimate reference points), he accompanied cantaores of recognized prestige. He met Paco de Lucía one day when Paco showed up with Los Marismeños at the booth the Taberna Gitana set up at the Málaga fair. Camarón, who was working at the Torrebermejas at the time, traveled to Málaga frequently. When José was 15, Camarón de la Isla found himself without a guitarist at a festival taking place in Málaga; someone suggested calling “that kid from the Taberna Gitana who played Paco's stuff well”, and Camarón agreed. This would be Tomatito's first encounter with José Monge Cruz, the start of a professional relationship that lasted 18 years, until the tragic death of the brilliant cantaor.
From that moment on, Camarón began calling him occasionally, whenever Paco Cepero, his regular guitarist at the time, had other professional commitments. Some of these performances took place in Salamanca, Valencia, the Alhaurín de la Torre Festival, etc. He left the Taberna Gitana to go to Madrid with Pansequito, staying with him for 5 months. That was the first and only Christmas José spent away from home. That night they were at Los Canasteros, enjoying a performance by La Susi.
During his time with Camarón, Tomatito alternated the massive concerts with him in Spain and abroad with performances at peñas and festivals, accompanying great flamenco figures such as Enrique Morente, La Susi, Vicente Soto 'Sordera', Pansequito, José de la Mercé, Chano Lobato, Terremoto de Jerez, Antonio Mairena, Juanito Villar, Rancapino and many, many more.
- At the "El Giraldillo del Toque de la III Bienal de Arte Flamenco de la Ciudad de Sevilla" competition in 1984, with Juan Villar singing and Farruco dancing.
- Those held in Madrid during the Cumbre Flamenca festivals at the Teatro Alcalá Palace in 1985.
- At the 5th Madrid Jazz Festival in 1986 with the Ray Barretto orchestra.
- At the Madrid City Council's Festival de Verano de la Villa in 1991.
- And at the Teatro Lope de Vega in Seville, with Parrita singing.
At this last performance, after José had started playing, he couldn't understand why the audience suddenly got so excited. To his surprise, he discovered that Camarón had come up on stage and sat down beside him without anyone having hired him. When the cantaor was later asked about his unexpected appearance, he replied that “you don't always sing for money”. This is one of many examples of the bonds that united the two artists and of their human quality.
Thanks to his close relationship with the Peña El Taranto in Almería, he received the Taranto de Oro emblem in 1985 and the "Lucas López" Award in 1988.
During this period, Tomatito established himself as one of the most prestigious accompanying guitarists in Spain. His musical aesthetic fit perfectly with Camarón's, with a sound of his own, deeply flamenco, in which he managed to integrate silences as part of the melody and to make use, in absolute harmony, of the cadence of the cantes performed by Camarón.
"La leyenda del Tiempo" from 1979 is the first in an extensive discography accompanying Camarón. On "Como el Agua" (1981), he had the opportunity to work with his idol, Paco de Lucía, with whom from then on he would maintain a relationship of respect and deep admiration. Next on the list are Calle Real (1983), Viviré (1984), Te lo dice Camarón (1986), Flamenco Vivo (live, from 1987), Disco de Oro (compilation, from 1988), Soy gitano (1989), Autorretrato (mixes, rarities, 1991), Potro de Rabia y Miel (1992), Camarón's last recording, where he once again teamed up with Paco de Lucía, Camarón Nuestro (1993), París 1987, Directo (1999) and Camarón, Antología Inédita (2000).
